Stan Lee did not invent the comic book superhero. By the time he and Jack Kirby published the first issue of Fantastic Four in 1961, Superman and Batman had three decades of adventures over at DC, and Marvel had already entertained WWII-era readers with pulpy tales — the sea-dwelling prince Namor the Submariner, the original android Human Torch, and Captain America’s mean left hook to Hitler’s chin.
In 1961, it was believed that there were no more fans of comic book superheroes. The genre had run its course. Books sales were dropping. Nobody was interested.
Then Lee and Kirby brought a paradigm shift to a dying industry and created a universe that has captured the imaginations of billions over the years. Sixty years later, these characters are more popular than ever.
I dare you to find me someone who doesn’t know Spider-Man’s origin story. I dare you to walk through town without seeing at least one Marvel superhero t-shirt strut by. I dare you to find me someone who doesn’t have a favorite superhero.
What changed? What was their innovation? They built their stories around the heroes’ humanity.
Before Lee and Kirby and the Marvel Bullpen, superhero stories were forgettable. Some muscled-up, square-jawed dude in a silly costume beat up some cliché villain, or dozens of mooks who fell like straw men. No wonder comic books were considered kid stuff, and no wonder the genre nearly died when there were no more Nazis for them to fight.
Superman had immeasurable strength, flight, heat vision, frost breath, and near-total invulnerability. He always did the right thing. It was hard to feel anything deeper for him than, “Look at him go!” Fun, sure, but relatable? Maybe not.
Lee brought something new to superhero stories. All of a sudden, the characters had to face things more challenging than foiling any bank robbery and more persistent than the fiercest supervillain: Relationships. Finances. Emotions. Loss. Normal, everyday life.
The Fantastic Four are a family. When they aren’t traveling through dimensions and saving Earth from planet-eating monstrosities, they are bickering among themselves, hurting each other’s feelings, mending relationships, and comforting one another.
The Incredible Hulk is afraid of his own emotions, forced to suppress them for fear of what might happen if he let’s them loose.
Captain America is a man out of time. The world around him is not one he recognizes, more complicated and faster-moving than the era he’s accustomed to.
Spider-Man’s life sucks. He’s behind on schoolwork, can’t pay the rent, gets nervous talking to girls, and can’t get his life on track because of the overwhelming sense of responsibility he feels to save everyone he can. Every spare minute is spent taking care of others, so his own life is in shambles.
These are common human problems. They are things we all deal with at some point in our lives. Since we feel a commonality with the characters, we become invested in their stories. They stay with us after we turn the last page, and they compel us to come back next issue (or next movie, as the case may be) to see how they will deal.
Because we see ourselves in them, we feel like we know them. And because we feel like we know them, we become fans.
Don’t be afraid to share your struggles. No one is perfect, and we shouldn’t try to be. By being willing to share stories about your challenges, you can open the door to sharing the solutions you found. This allows us to learn from your experiences and become better, too.
We go on a journey together. We get invested. We become fans.
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Acknowledgements go to the all-time greats, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who created something truly beautiful. If you want to gain a deeper appreciation for the incredible work these men did, I recommend reading Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution by journalist Ronin Ro. It’s an intimate, sometimes unflattering look at the true story behind the origins, innovations and perseverance of Marvel Comics.
